Colloquium
The INTEGRATE Colloquium will provide trainers and trainees the opportunity to engage other UW–Madison faculty working in relevant areas and invited external “keynote” speakers who are leaders in research at the intersection of robotics, work, and society. The wide range of topics are intentional to enrich trainee perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. Participants will be encouraged to engage in follow-up discussion, networking, and socializing and thus serve as a catalyst for communication and community building.
If you would be interested in giving a talk, please contact Kristie Schultz.
Upcoming Talks
October 5, 2026: Peter Adamczyk, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, UW–Madison
October 26, 2026: Yunus Alapan, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, UW–Madison
Zoom Link
Peter Adamczyk
Dr. Peter Adamczyk earned degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University (B.S.) and the University of Michigan (M.S. and Ph.D) in the areas of Robotics and Biomechanics. He spent several years running a startup company dedicated to advancing the science and technology of lower-limb prosthetics and real-world motion assessment. He is now the Mead Witter Foundation Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison where he directs the Biomechatronics, Assistive Devices, Gait Engineering and Rehabilitation Laboratory (UW BADGER Lab, http://uwbadgerlab.engr.wisc.edu).
Dr. Adamczyk’s research aims to enhance physical and functional recovery from impairments affecting walking, running, and standing. Core foci include basic research on locomotion biomechanics; design of semi-active foot prostheses for gait restoration after amputation; wearable sensors for movement assessment during real-life activities; and rehabilitation robotics to explore motor learning and neural adaptation in the lower limb.
Robotics to Rebuild, Study, and Rehabilitate Humans
Many robots are built as separate agents to help people with external tasks. But, in rehabilitation, robots are integral to the function of the human body itself. Robotic or biomechatronic systems can integrate or interact with the body and be used as tools to assist, study, or challenge it. This talk will overview work in the UW Biomechatronics, Assistive Devices, Gait Engineering, and Rehabilitation (BADGER) Lab on prosthetic foot/ankle systems and rehabilitation-oriented robots, with understanding and improving function and recovery from impairments as the central goal.
Archived Talks
- April 10, 2026 – Toward Flexible & Effective Human-Robot Teaming, Mike Hagenow, Assistant Professor of Computer Sciences at UW–Madison
- March 4, 2026 – From Muscles to Metabolism: Rethinking Energy, Actuation, and Intelligence in Robots James Pikul, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UW–Madison
- December 3, 2025 – The Race between Academia and Industry for AI Researchers Alice Wu, Assistant Professor of Economics at UW–Madison
- November 7, 2025 – Robot Learning and Wearable Interfaces in Pursuit of Robotic Caregivers Zackory Erickson, Assistant Professor, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
- March 5, 2025 – Robots and Inequality: Between and Within Occupations Rodimiro Rodrigo, Assistant Professor of International Business and Economics at the George Washington University School of Business (GWSB).
- February 26, 2025 – Rethinking Design for Human-Robot Collaboration. EunJeong Cheon, Assistant Professor in the School of Information Studies and Senior Research Associate at the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute (ASPI) at Syracuse University. Zoom recording available, integrate-nrt@wisc.edu.
- November 6, 2024 – Automation and Labor: The Role of Robots Hee Rin Lee, Assistant Professor in the Department of Media and Information at Michigan State University.
- October 2, 2024 – Mapping the Mind: Neuroergonomics Insights into Human-Machine Interaction. Ranjana Mehta, Grainger Institute of Engineering Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin Madison.
- April 17, 2024 – Economics of Automation, Robots, Competition, and Jobs. Victor Bennett, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at the University of Utah’s Eccles School of Business.
- February 28, 2024 – Blending Reality: The Real-World Impact of XR Technologies Kevin Ponto, Associate Professor at WID and in the Design Studies Department in the School of Human Ecology at UW–Madison.
- November 8, 2023 – The Second Robot Problem: Obstacles to Manufacturing Automation at Scale. Ben Armstrong, Executive Director, MIT Industrial Performance Center.
- September 27, 2023 – Copyright’s Latent Space: From Fair Use to Generative Art BJ Ard, Law School, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- April 28, 2023 – First Wisconsin Robotics Symposium A collaboration between UW–Madison robotics faculty, grad students and industry.
- April 19, 2023 – Enhancing Safety and Efficiency in Human-Robot Collaboration for Future Manufacturing Workspaces Dr. Marvin Cheng, Assistant Coordinator, Center for Occupational Robotics Research (CORR), NIOSH
- March 22, 2023 – Exoskeleton-Enabled Future of Work in Construction, Zhenhua Zhu, Ph.D., P.Eng., Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin – Madison.